Idli is one of the commonest breakfasts in South India. I would not be wrong to say that it has grown into a national dish. These steamed dumplings of lentils and rice/millets are also fermented, making idlis a very healthy dish. Once the hard work of grinding is done, it becomes a cakewalk to make idlis. A standard idli stand has three layers of four molds each. Therefore, one batch can yield 12 idlis, in about 10 minutes. So, when there are many mouths to feed, idli is the first choice.
But it often happens that lots of idlis are left over. This invariably means that the idlis will be converted to idli upuma the next morning. Upuma is an amorphous mass of cooked grains.
Idli upuma is the subject of my post today. We had kodo millet idli for breakfast a couple of weeks ago. There was a large number left over. These were promptly converted to idli upuma, a really delicious breakfast.
In this post, I will not post how to make idlis. This blog already has a post on it. I will begin with the leftover idlis.

Ingredients
6 idlis
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (sarson, kadugu)
1 dried red chili
1/2 tsp split black lentils (urad dal, ulutham parupu)
1/2 cup chopped carrots and French beans
1 sprig curry leaves
Method
Crumble the idlis into a bowl
Set aside
Heat a wok and add the mustard seeds
When they begin to splutter, add the split black lentils, curry leaves and the red chili
When the lentils turn golden brown, add the chopped carrot and beans
Add a little water and mix well
Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
Once the vegetables are tender and all the water has evaporated, add the crumbled idlis and mix well
Remove from flame and serve hot with your favourite chutney and/or sambar
Enjoy!